Till Next We Meet
by anarchei
Summary: A night elf priest and a blood elf paladin crash into each other in Stormwind. This can't be good, right?


Blizzard made Warcraft. I made this story. Creative Commons Attribution applies here.

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**Till Next We Meet**

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Cloth brushed against stone as a robed figure appeared as if out of nowhere. Tall, blue-skinned, slender yet muscular, bright eyes that glowed golden, he was a typical kaldorei in appearance except for his haircut. A shade of blue, cut shorter than was usual for one of his kind yet long enough to reach his shoulders, his hair appeared almost human. The elf looked around the near-empty room and spotted two human mages against the wall in deep conversation. They noticed his arrival, one even spared a moment to acknowledge the night elf and nod. The kaldorei nodded in return, his expression blank. Unlike his kin, the priest harboured no ill-will toward magical adepts of the arcane. He was young, as evidenced by the fact that his face was unlined by experience, and hence had not lived through the horrors of the past. The kaldorei stepped through another portal and began to walk down a ramp that curved to match the walls of the tower. He emerged through a door, the sun shone down from overhead. A few blinks later, his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he continued down the ramp to the short grass that covered the ground below. He had arrived in Stormwind, the centre of human civilisation on Azeroth.

The priest thought back to why he had embarked on this journey. Years had gone by since he set out to make a difference, to heal the sick and injured. He knew much of the Light from Elune, but now he wished to learn the ways of the Light as humans understood it. For one of his kind to want such knowledge was strange, and some night elfs would indeed frown on any attempt. Elune was the beginning and the end of all understanding for the kaldorei. The priest, however, felt that his kind had become too inward thinking and no longer had the capacity to accept new ideas. His exposure to some of these ideas during his time in Northrend was testament enough to how close-minded his people had become. He hoped that he could help set an example for the rest of kaldorei society, but so far he had little success in swaying others to follow.

He had just crossed one of the bridges of the Stormwind canals and was about to enter the trade quarter when the elf was startled out of his reverie by a sudden commotion ahead. There were angry voices shouting, and a few screams. Above the noise the priest discerned two words: blood elf. The priest's robes fluttered behind him as he picked up the pace. A crowd had formed in the square, which would ordinarily make it impossible to see what was happening, however the night elf was several heads taller than the humans around him, so it was not a problem. At the centre of the crowd, a heavily armoured sindorei was struggling against the hold of two slightly shorter human guards, while beside them stood a guard in possession of the elf's belongings. The priest quickly recognised the armour as that of a paladin.

"Let me go!" the blood elf shouted in Common, his face a shade of red as he attempted to break free from his captors.

"Not a chance, elf scum!" a human replied as he broke away from the crowd, the armour he wore identified him as a captain of the guard. "We don't allow green-eyed freaks in our city!"

The captain moved suddenly and a second later the elf was slumped forward, momentarily winded after been kneed in the stomach. This was met with jeers and cries of mirth from the crowd. Not at all pleased by the actions of the humans, or the reaction the crowd, the kaldorei knew he had to do something. He pushed his way through the crowd in the direction of the captured sindorei. The crowd quickly died down as the people realised a night elf was in their midst. The captain was about to lash out at the blood elf again when he noticed the change in the mob, and turned around to see what had caused it. His eyes immediately settled on the priest as he stepped away from the crowd.

"Ah, come to assist us, have you?" the human asked with a grin, clearly energised by the power he had over the sindorei. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait your turn."

"I'm afraid, captain, that you have made a mistake," the priest explained with narrowed eyes, his deep voice carried over the heads of those gathered. "The paladin that you have detained is in fact an envoy from the Blood Knights of Silvermoon to the Church of the Holy Light. You would do well to release him immediately."

"What nonsense is this?" the captain exclaimed in disbelief. "Blood elfs are part of the Horde, if they want to arrange meetings with the Church it should be on neutral ground."

"The Cathedral is neutral ground," the priest explained as he noticed a strange object in the clutches of one of the guards. "Unfortunately, the device that one of your guards is holding sent him off-course. Even with years to improve their knowledge, engineers have yet to build a wormhole generator that works precisely."

"He's telling the truth!" the blood elf paladin said between gasps.

"Hold your tongue, dog," one of the guards that held him growled.

It was too late. The seed had been planted. All around them the crowd whispered. The guard that held the paladin's wormhole generator shifted his eyes between the device in his hand and the sindorei, uncertainty clearly evident on his face. The captain noticed all of this and knew that he needed to say something.

"Supposing that all of this is true," the human said in an even tone. "Why didn't he use a more reliable mode of transportation? More importantly, why wasn't there a representative of the Church accompanying him?"

"I attempted to persuade him to travel by more conventional means," the kaldorei explained in a strained voice. "But he is very stubborn. He prefers technology over magic. I was meant to meet him outside the Cathedral, however when he did not arrive I went looking for him. Fortunately I found him before any permanent damage was done."

"I see," the captain mulled this information over as the crowd muttered support for and against the priest's story.

The night elf glanced at the sindorei, who looked back at him with a look that seemed to convey a sense of curiosity, gratitude, and hope. They were both strangers to one another, but in that moment they seemed to connect on a deep emotional level.

"I've thought it over," the human stated in a clear voice, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "The safest thing to do is to place this blood elf in the custody of the Church."

This announcement was met with a murmur of dissent from the people gathered in the square.

"If it turns out that there has been some sort of mistake," the captain eyed the priest with a slight frown. "Then the appropriate action will be taken."

This seemed to satisfy the crowd as a few people had already begun to leave and go about their business.

"Release him, and return his belongings."

The guards let go of the blood elf. The one that held his sword and wormhole generator handed the items back and appeared to mutter something to the elf, whom seemed taken aback by what might have been an apology.

"Alright, that's it. Nothing else to see here people. Move along!"

In response the crowd quickly dispersed as the trade quarter slowly returned to regular operation. The captain pointed at the guard who had apologised to the elf and seemed to signal something. The guard nodded. Immediately the captain and other guards stalked off without another word.

"I'm to be your escort to the Cathedral," the remaining guard explained to the two elfs. "Please follow me."

The walk through the trade quarter was uneventful except for the occasional glare from a human as they passed by. The priest ignored this, however the paladin seemed nervous. Their escort remained quiet, and with no desire to jinx their apparent luck, neither did either elf. Eventually they arrived outside the Cathedral.

"This is where I leave you," the guard stated plainly. "Good luck."

"Light be with you," the priest said sincerely.

The human had turned to leave, but paused when he heard this, nodded, then went on his way out of the square. The two elfs were now alone. The priest had watched as the human departed and had not realised that the paladin had begun to back away from him. When he turned to face the blood elf he noticed the gap that now separated them.

"What are you doing?" the night elf asked with a curious expression on his face.

"What do you think?" the blood elf replied with a vindictive snarl. "You may have helped me out earlier, but that doesn't change the fact that we are enemies. Just stay where you are and..."

"And what?" the priest changed tact, arms crossed over his chest. "Escape isn't an option at the moment. You have no hearthstone from what I can tell, and your wormhole generator needs time to recharge. There's also the fact that you are in the middle of Stormwind, so there are only two places you can go. You can claim sanctuary inside the Church, or you can take your chances with the guards."

The paladin was taken aback from the sudden change in behaviour. It was the sort of thing he had come to expect from his own people, not a kaldorei. Then there were the facts that the night elf had so bluntly laid to bare. He had very few choices, and only one of them offered a real chance of survival. It was also an unpalatable option. He had always been taught that night elfs were his sworn enemy, despite the fact that he had never met one before. However, he had always taken his position in the Blood Knights seriously, so seriously that he had befriended a priest of the Light in Silvermoon. He had learnt of another side of the Light that his fellow Knights had never spoken. Maybe this priest was genuine in his intentions. Maybe he really was trying to help him.

"Fine," the paladin sighed as if in defeat. "Sanctuary it is."

"Excellent," the priest's demeanor changed instantly from confrontational to friendly, a smile now evident on his blue-skinned face.

The pair made their way up the stairs of the Cathedral, eventually they came together at the door and entered as one. They were spotted immediately. It was not every day that such an unlikely pair of elfs entered the Cathedral of Light. A young human priest walked up to them, his expression worried.

"Why are you here?" he asked, his question directed at the blood elf. "You shouldn't be here."

"I seek sanctuary," the paladin replied simply.

"I'm not sure..." the priest seemed agitated by the request.

"Brother, you should be sure by now," a voice interjected. "You have spent many years studying, surely by now you understand compassion."

"I apologise Bishop. I will try harder."

"I know you will," the Bishop said kindly and with his hand motioned the priest to leave them. "I will see to our visitors."

Once the priest had departed, the Bishop turned his attention to the elfs.

"I am Bishop Neheri," the tall, powerfully-built human said. "I would be happy to grant you sanctuary, if you are indeed worthy."

"Worthy?" the blood elf asked anxiously.

"Indeed," Neheri answered. "I know how the sindorei utilise the Light, and it is not proper. I would know whether you personally commune with the Light, or you simply use it like a master uses a slave."

The sindorei nodded weakly. Neheri took this as acquiescence. The human stepped forward, arm outstretched, and placed his bare hand on the only exposed skin he could find, the elf's face. Their eyes closed for several seconds, the night elf looked on, certain of the outcome. He knew that the blood elf was purer than most, his eyes were proof enough. The green tinge of the fel that usually infested the sindorei was dim in the paladin. A moment later Neheri withdrew his hand.

"You are worthy, Ascius," he said simply, the paladin momentarily startled that the human knew his name, then Nerheri turned to the kaldorei. "I believe you are Noxien. We have been expecting you. Both of you are welcome to avail yourselves of our hospitality. Unfortunately I must attend to other matters. Light be with you."

The young Bishop walked away without another word. For a moment neither of them spoke. The experience of having one's mind read by another is usually uncomfortable, especially when done across a racial barrier. Noxien was aware of this fact and thought it prudent to give the blood elf some time to recover.

"Thanks," Ascius broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hmm?" Noxien hummed, his golden eyes now focused on the sindorei.

"I said thanks," the paladin repeated, a little louder this time. "Thanks for saving me."

"Oh," the priest replied as he rubbed the back of his neck, as if embarrassed. "You're welcome."

"There's just one thing I don't understand," Ascius continued, his voice calm and rational. "Why did you help me? I mean, I'm grateful and everything, but you do realise that we are technically enemies."

"Have you ever heard of a paladin named Anarchei?" Noxien asked in response.

"I don't think so..."

"He is a draenei that saved a tauren from certain death in Northrend," the night elf explained. "He did so not only because he had no political attachments, but for the simple reason that he had a strong desire to help those in need."

"And you thought you would follow his example, right?"

"Pretty much."

The blood elf nodded. He understood the power of examples. The kaldorei that stood before him was living proof. The paladin could not help but admire the priest for his tenacity and bravery. He held strong to the principles of the Light, namely to protect others from harm. It was unfortunate that he could not say the same about himself. If their positions were reversed, he was sure he would not have lifted a finger to help the night elf. A feeling of shame spread through him. Despite all his attempts at improvement, he was still no better than his brethren. Resentment flooded every fibre of his being, a self-hatred that was so strong that it seemed to leave a physical trace, for Noxien suddenly stepped forward and grasped both his gloved hands in his own. Ascius felt weak at the knees at the unexpected contact, his anger replaced by shock.

"Are you alright?" the priest's voice and face filled with genuine concern.

It was too much for the sindorei, the conflicting emotions inside his head, the physical touch. Too much. He collapsed into the night elf. Years had gone by since he had last felt the warmth of compassion, and now of all people to show it to him, a tall strong kaldorei was the one to wrap his arms around him and soothe his mind. He could not help what he felt in that moment. He was attracted to the night elf. For years he had suppressed these feelings, but all of a sudden they had returned in full force. He did not want to feel this way. He knew it was wrong, but the feelings continued without his permission. He could not deny it any longer. He did not even realise that he had begun to cry until Noxien brushed away a tear from his cheek. Surely the priest had seen into his mind and realised the truth. Ascius raised his eyes to gaze in wonder at the priest and was met with a smile.

"Let's find somewhere private to talk."

The blood elf nodded again, he did not trust his voice to respond. With the aid of the night elf, Ascius made his way through the Cathedral and exited into the grounds beyond. The area behind the great stone building was occupied by a cemetery, and beyond that a large lake. They continued to walk until they found an empty stone bench. Noxien helped the paladin to sit before he took a seat beside him. For a moment neither of them spoke. Ascius was certain that in his moment of weakness the kaldorei had seen into his mind. He expected the usual tirade that he had heard many times before from others in service of the Light, but what he got instead was the exact opposite.

"You are upset that I saw your thoughts," Noxien began, his voice calm, his eyes focused straight ahead. "I am sorry. I make a point of not reading the minds of others without their permission. But you seemed like you were suffering, and not knowing what it was I sought entry into your mind. I am not angry with you for your feelings."

"You aren't angry?" the paladin asked after he found his voice again. "But don't you think it's wrong for me to have these feelings?"

"There is nothing wrong with you," Noxien replied and turned to face Ascius.

"But I thought that those in service of the Light were forbidden from having, well..."

"Sexual urges?" the priest finished the paladin's sentence with a slight smile.

"You know what I mean."

"I am not bound to the rules of the Church or the Temple, nor do I subscribe to their prejudices. I think it is natural to feel the way you do, and if there is anything wrong with you, it is that you have suppressed what comes naturally. If it were me, I would embrace it."

"But aren't you disgusted by my feelings toward you?" Ascius asked quickly, as if desperate to encourage negativity in the kaldorei.

"Not at all," Noxien replied with a shake of the head. "In fact, I am intrigued."

"Intrigued?" the sindorei raised an eyebrow in response.

"Indeed. For some time now I have wondered what it would be like to engage in a physical relationship with a male."

For a moment Ascius sat there and stared at the night elf, then shook his head as if to clear it of cobwebs.

"Are you serious?" the blood elf asked sceptically. "I mean, you aren't just saying that to make me feel better?"

"I am serious," Noxien replied, his face like chiseled stone. "When I caught a glimpse of your feelings for me I felt the same thing for you."

"Prove it," Ascius said impulsively.

For a moment the night elf sat there and stared into the paladin's aqua eyes. The priest had not lied when he said that he felt attracted to the sindorei. They were both adepts in the way of the Light, and he had never seen himself involved with any other outside that field of magic before. There was something about the comfort that the Light provided that gave him the strength to even consider another male in a romantic sense. He knew from experience with other races, as well as his own, that such relationships were to be frowned upon, even openly shunned. But to Noxien, none of that mattered. He felt attracted to Ascius and that was all that mattered. Suddenly he leaned forward, placed a hand behind the blood elf's neck, and drew their lips together. Emotions flowed between them, the kiss opened up their minds to each other. For the first time in both their lives they felt what they believed was true love.

The sound of a throat been cleared interrupted them. They separated and turned to face the intrusion on their first kiss. Before them stood two humans: Bishop Neheri and the guard that had escorted them to the Cathedral earlier. While Neheri seemed to wear a smirk on his face, the guard stood at attention without any display of emotion.

"I apologise, but this cannot wait," the Bishop said quickly, his smile now gone as he gestured to the guard at his side. "Michael here came as soon as he could."

"You must leave Stormwind immediately," Michael stated gravely, his eyes on Ascius.

"Why?" the blood elf asked in surprise as he stood. "I thought I had sanctuary here."

"Usually this would be true, however the King heard that you were in the city," the human guard explained. "He wants you arrested and taken to the Keep for questioning."

"The King has much respect for the Church," Neheri explained as Noxien stood and took his place beside Ascius. "Unfortunately this does not extend to sanctuary granted to a sindorei."

"He is preparing a contingent of guards to come and arrest you," Michael reported, a grim look on his face. "When I heard I slipped away to warn you."

An explosion rocked the ground as shouts could be heard inside the Cathedral. The sound of metal armour as it made contact with stone greeted them.

"You must leave right now," the Bishop said quickly.

Ascius nodded, stepped away from the others, and pulled out his wormhole generator. It had not cooled down to the point where it was usable.

"It's not ready yet," the blood elf groaned.

"Don't you have a hearthstone?" Noxien asked as his eyes shifted toward the still closed door of the Cathedral.

"I left it in Silvermoon!" the paladin was desperate now.

"Here," the kaldorei said quickly as he pulled out a small grey stone from within his robes and handed it to the sindorei. "It is for one person only, but it will take you to the Legerdemain Lounge in Dalaran."

For a moment Ascius stared at the stone in his hand, then he looked up Noxien. No words would be enough to convey his gratitude, and the priest seemed to sense this, for he stepped forward and pulled the shorter elf into an embrace. They stood pressed together like this for what seemed like forever, but in reality it was mere moments, for they were all too aware of their surroundings. Angry yells and the sounds of metal-on-metal had grown louder. They could not hold off the inevitable any longer. Tears streaked down both their faces as they separated. Neither of them wanted to say goodbye. They had only just met and now they were been torn apart.

"Till next we meet," Noxien uttered his farewell softly, his eyes downcast.

Ascius reached up, stroked the night elf's cheek, and pulled him down for a quick kiss. They both felt their spirits rise slightly and barely managed to back away from each other. His eyes locked on the other elf, the blood elf activated the hearthstone and was enveloped in a haze of green light. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.


End file.
